This invention relates generally to lawn sweepers and more particularly to a new and novel lawn sweeper which is capable of clearing a lawn of accumulated debris such as leaves, pine straw and the like. The lawn sweeper comprises a novel vacuum forming means which accomplishes the purposes hereinafter specified.
Lawn sweepers and rotating lawn rakes have been utilized in the prior art and accomplish the object intended by the use of rotating brushes, fixed blades, wire sections and other devices attempting to solve the problem of removing accumulated debris from the lawn to the lawn sweeper.
Such devices may be satisfactory for certain types of debris and may not be satisfactory for other types of debris. For example, a prior art lawn sweeper may be satisfactorily designed to pick up lawn clippings but may not be able to pick up twigs or stones. In a similar manner, a lawn sweeper may be designed to be able to pick up debris such as twigs or stones but may not be satisfactorily designed to pick up pine straw or grass clippings.
A detailed prior art search of pertinent lawn sweepers disclosed the following referenced patents which show the great variety of devices available in the market place:
______________________________________ Patentee U.S. Pat. No. ______________________________________ Streed, et al 2,755,829 Best 3,167,899 Stewart 3,597,910 Rands 3,696,563 Galvin 1,493,670 Herold 2,278,928 Asbury 2,740,980 Peterson 2,480,877 Asbury 2,676,447 Asbury 2,763,257 Erickson 2,907,064 Asbury 3,036,324 Asbury 3,045,992 Prange 3,314,095 Walton 604,812 Whiting 1,204,220 Reitan 2,505,576 Ferris 2,959,904 Lee 3,304,704 Oblinger 3,308,612 Schneider et al 3,518,819 Chouinard 3,664,099 Dankel, et al 3,713,284 Palmer 3,999,316 ______________________________________
While the above mentioned prior art devices may have proven satisfactory for the individual use intended in the design, it has been found from experience that they would not be satisfactory for use in a large variety of applications such as encompassed within the applicant's device. By the use of the applicant's new and novel lawn sweeper with its new and novel vacuum forming means attached thereto, it is possible to create a strong updraft in the bottom section of the sweeper so that accumulated debris such as leaves, pine straw and other light materials may be quickly picked up and thrown into the sweeper. In addition, the applicant's new and novel lawn sweeper is capable of also cutting grass, weeds, vines, and just about any other thing, living or dead, that is in its path. It is capable of chewing up dead sticks at least up to two and one-half inches in diameter that lie in its path and also will pick up beer cans and other large objects such as that. The subject lawn sweeper does not throw any of the sweepings out of the sides of the unit as does a rotary mower, and it is extremely difficult to get a toe or finger underneath the sweeper which could cause injury to the person's limbs.